Voting Rights (Registration and Requirements)

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 24, 2015

Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to Wisconsin law requiring voters to provide photo identification before casting their ballots; state officials say they will not enforce law in April 7 election, but will require compliance in later ones. MORE

Jan. 16, 2015

Jim Dwyer About New York column describes effort by lawyer John Kennedy O'Hara to overturn his 2003 conviction on charges of illegal voting; suggests that O'Hara's conviction, whether he was guilty or not, may have been result of political vendetta with Brooklyn Dist Atty Charles J Hynes; notes that O'Hara and his lawyer have collected evidence of fraud committed by Hynes and prosecutors in case. MORE

Jan. 10, 2015

City Council in Hyattsville, Md, votes 7 to 4 in preliminary ballot to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in town's elections in May 2015; final vote for lowering voting age is scheduled for Jan 20. MORE

Dec. 30, 2014

The Upshot; Southern blacks who came of age before Voting Rights Act of 1965 are far less likely to be registered to vote than later generations, illustrating enduring legacy of Jim Crow. MORE

Nov. 20, 2014

The Upshot contends that voter identification laws, while contentious, do not have significant impact on most election outcomes. MORE

Nov. 19, 2014

Stricter voter identification laws enacted in several Republican-led states are getting closer scrutiny after 2014 midterm elections in which GOP won big. MORE

Nov. 19, 2014

Brent Staples Editorial Observer examines racist origins of state policies of felon disenfranchisement; notes that racially freighted system has stripped one in every 13 black persons of right to vote, and carries inherent threat to other pariah groups; observes that states like Vermont and Maine, where there are no black populations to speak of, have strongly resisted revoking prisoners' right to vote. MORE

Nov. 12, 2014

Editorial contends that abysmally low turnout in midterm elections may have been bad for Democrats but was even worse for democracy; maintains that one useful lesson from the elections is that when voting is made easier, more people vote; urges politicians to make process of voting as easy as possible and to run campaigns that stand for something. MORE

Nov. 8, 2014

Federal appeals court rejects bids by Arizona and Kansas to force federal government to require proof of citizenship for voter registration in their states; says that while the Constitution allows states to set voter requirements for state office, it does not give them the power to force the federal agency to alter its forms. MORE

Nov. 7, 2014

Patrick D Cannon, former mayor of Charlotte, NC, will be on house arrest until he reports to federal prison after illegally voting in midterm election; Cannon was convicted in June of federal wire fraud in bribery sting. MORE

Nov. 5, 2014

Voters in Texas, North Carolina and Georgia report some problems with casting their ballots; accounts seem to reflect concerns raised by civic groups and civil rights leaders that new photo identification requirements in some states and cutbacks in early voting and same-day registration in others could deter significant number of people from voting. MORE

Oct. 29, 2014

Oct. 21, 2014

Wisconsin Atty Gen J B Van Hollen is giving up on finding a way to get a voter photo identification law in place for the Nov 4 election. MORE

Oct. 19, 2014

Supreme Court issues order allowing Texas to use its strict voter identification law in midterm elections; opponents say law, which requires voters to present photo identification, may prevent millions of eligible voters, particularly blacks and Hispanics, from casting ballots. MORE

Oct. 17, 2014

Kansas Secretary of State Kris W Kobach, longtime conservative voice on voter issues, has become a lightning rod on restrictive voting and illegal immigration; he faces unexpectedly tough re-election fight in deeply Republican Kansas, where many think the party may have gone too far. MORE

Oct. 16, 2014

Arkansas Supreme Court strikes down state's voter identification law, saying it will set new requirement for voting beyond those listed in state's Constitution; ruling comes less than three weeks before an election in a state where there are several close contests, including for governor and the United States Senate. MORE

Oct. 15, 2014

Federal appeals court rules that Texas can enforce its strong voter identification requirements in November election, temporarily blocking lower court ruling that law was unconstitutional effort to suppress votes of blacks and Hispanics; three-judge panel puts off consideration of whether ruling should stand permanently. MORE

Oct. 13, 2014

Editorial contends the voter ID laws that Republicans are battling to preserve in lead-up to midterm elections must be recognized as the discriminatory measures they are; urges Supreme Court justices to rule definitively that such laws are antidemocratic if and when court assesses their constitutionality in the future. MORE

Oct. 11, 2014

Officials in Wisconsin and Texas are seeking ways to preserve contested voter identification requirements as civil rights groups celebrated two victories against them; opponents say laws are designed to suppress minority voting. MORE

Oct. 10, 2014

Supreme Court stops officials in Wisconsin from requiring voters there to provide photo identification before casting their ballots in coming election; three of court's more conservative members dissent, in setback for Gov Scott Walker. MORE

Oct. 8, 2014

Cascade of rulings from Supreme Court and number of state courts about voting rules are sowing confusion just weeks before elections that will decide control of Senate and crucial governors' races; rulings, issued by judges with increasingly partisan edge, are changing voting procedures with potential to affect outcomes in some states. MORE

Oct. 2, 2014

United States Court of Appeals for Fourth Circuit forces North Carolina officials to restore two provisions for ballot access that had been eliminated in law passed by state's Republican-controlled Legislature; ruling restores 'same-day registration,' allowing state's voters to register and cast ballots in single visits to locations for early voting; civil rights groups had said law would disproportionately harm black voters. MORE

Sep. 30, 2014

Supreme Court blocks order to restore seven days of early voting in Ohio. MORE

Sep. 27, 2014

Federal appeals court narrowly decides against hearing arguments on photo identification requirement for Wisconsin voters, turning down pleas for a hearing from those who argue requirement has created confusion and chaos; decision comes month before in-person early voting begins and after some in Wisconsin may have mailed in absentee ballots. MORE

Sep. 25, 2014

Editorial cites Brennan Center for Justice report showing voting precincts in minority neighborhoods in Maryland, South Carolina and Florida were systematically deprived of resources needed to make voting go smoothly; holds while report avoids such accusations, situation is clear that election officials are trying to discourage voting in minority areas, either out of racism or for political gain; warns predicament will continue unless challenged in court or outlawed by Congress. MORE

Sep. 23, 2014

Plaintiffs claim bias during closing arguments in Texas voter-identification case, while state officials maintain that law is necessary to prevent voter fraud; case has potential for widespread impact on coming elections in Texas, as well as on the extent of the federal government's oversight of the state's voting procedures. MORE

Sep. 18, 2014

Opponents of Wisconsin law requiring voters to provide photo ID ask federal appeals court to reconsider ruling that cleared the way for law to take effect for Nov elections. MORE

Sep. 16, 2014

Editorial criticizes federal appeals court for interim decision allowing Wisconsin to enforce a controversial voter ID law less than two months before the midterm elections; argues decision was backed by a meager rationale, and will lead to significant confusion and disenfranchisement. MORE

Sep. 13, 2014

Federal appeals court permits Wisconsin to restore a requirement that voters provide photo identification before casting election ballots, allowing the long-debated state law to take effect in time for a hard-fought election on Nov 4; order is seen as a significant victory for advocates of such voting requirements; opponents of the laws had viewed the Wisconsin case as opening a novel legal basis for their efforts in federal courtrooms. MORE

Sep. 8, 2014

Editorial notes that Justice Dept and several advocacy groups are fighting strict voter-ID law in Texas in federal court; contends laws like one in Texas, which accepts as proof of identity concealed-weapon permit but not a student ID card, have cropped up across nation in wake of Supreme Court's striking down of Section 5 of Voting Rights Act; warns that many of the nation's most vulnerable citizens are shut out of democratic process by such laws. MORE

Sep. 5, 2014

Judge Peter C Economus blocks Ohio's cuts to early voting, saying they would disproportionately affect poor and minority voters; orders state to put in place additional polling days prior to November's elections. MORE

Sep. 4, 2014

Political Memo; growing participation in early-ballot voting nationwide is belied by eight states that have curtailed the practice following a Republican-led pushback; three such states, Georgia, North Carolina and West Virginia, could feature prominently in deciding which party holds the majority in the Senate. MORE

Sep. 2, 2014

Trial over Texas voter identification law is set to begin, with Justice Department lawyers saying measure discriminates against blacks and Hispanics and lawyers for the state arguing that Southern states are being unfairly targeted; law took effect in June 2013, and is one of the most stringent of its kind in the country. MORE

Aug. 24, 2014

United States Court of Appeals for 10th Circuit in Denver will hear arguments about a policy in Arizona and Kansas that bars some voters without paper proof of citizenship from voting in state and local elections, allowing them to vote only in federal Congressional races. MORE

Aug. 12, 2014

Editorial notes 16 states have expanded access to polls, allowing more people to register or vote more conveniently; says some of these improvements took place in Republican-controlled states, which is striking since many states that are implementing new voter restrictions in November are mostly controlled by Republicans; urges Congress to repair Voting Rights Act so that Justice Dept can subject such restrictive laws to scrutiny. MORE

Aug. 9, 2014

Federal Judge Thomas D Schroeder in North Carolina rejects effort by civil rights groups and Justice Dept to block application of key elements of Republican-backed state law that curtails early voting and other opportunities for residents to cast their ballots; rejects argument that law would place unfair burden on African-American voters. MORE

Jul. 6, 2014

Lawyers for seven college students and three voter-registration advocates will join challenge to North Carolina law that requires voters to show photo identification; lawyers are making novel constitutional argument that law violates 26th Amendment, which lowered voting age to 18 from 21; if students succeed, it will open another front in highly partisan battle over voting rights. MORE

Jun. 17, 2014

Efforts to carry out some of country's strictest photo ID requirements and shorten early voting in several politically pivotal states before midterm elections are thrown into limbo by series of court decisions concluding that the measures infringe on the right to vote; decisions have gone both ways, but they ensure that challenges will remain a significant part of the voting landscape, perhaps for years. MORE

Jun. 3, 2014

Supreme Court agrees to consider challenges from Democratic lawmakers who say Alabama Legislature packed minority voters into a few districts, diluting their voting power; divided three-judge Federal District Court panel in 2013 ruled that the redistricting plan is lawful and does not deny black voters the right to participate in the political process. MORE

May. 21, 2014

United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit delivers new setback to officials in Arizona and Kansas, ruling that residents there can continue registering to vote using a federal form without having to show proof of citizenship. MORE

May. 15, 2014

Arkansas Supreme Court tosses out ruling by Circuit Court Judge Tim Fox striking down the state’s voter ID law, but it stops short of ruling on the constitutionality of the measure. MORE

May. 10, 2014

Kentucky Sen Rand Paul, breaking with fellow Republicans who have pushed for stricter voting laws, says focus alienates and insults African-Americans and hurts the party; he becomes most prominent member of his party to distance himself from campaigns for voting restrictions, many of which are being pursued in states that can determine presidential elections. MORE

Apr. 30, 2014

Apr. 30, 2014

Editorial praises Federal Judge Lynn Adelman for striking down Wisconsin's voter-ID law; contends decision sets out a detailed road map for upcoming challenges to similar laws around the country; notes that decision says such laws are designed to deter people from going to the polls, particularly minorities and the poor. MORE

Apr. 25, 2014

Arkansas Judge Tim Fox of Pulaski County Circuit Court strikes down state's new voter ID law, saying it violates State Constitution by adding requirement that voters must meet before casting ballot. MORE

Apr. 12, 2014

Pres Obama, in speech at annual convention of Rev Al Sharpton's National Action Network, deplores what he calls Republican campaign to deny voting rights to millions of Americans; comments come as part of his stepped-up efforts to rally his political base as competitive midterm campaign season begins. MORE

Apr. 3, 2014

Florida Gov Rick Scott's effort to remove voters who are not American citizens from voter registration rolls suffers one-two punch when federal appeals court rules against program and Florida's state secretary Ken Detzner decides to temporarily suspend program. MORE

Mar. 30, 2014

Pivotal swing states under Republican control are embracing significant new electoral restrictions on registering and voting, and already nine states have passed measures making it harder to vote since beginning of 2013; new bills, laws and administrative rules shake up fundamental components of state election systems, including days and times polls are open and locations where people vote. MORE

In the first election of local leaders since the shooting of an unarmed black teenager, Ferguson, Mo., will vote to fill three City Council seats, and the ballot has an unprecedented number of African Americans.